What are some ways to create an inclusive research environment in your lab?

1 Assess your current situation

Before you implement any changes or initiatives, you need to understand the current state of your lab culture and climate. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or other methods to collect feedback from your lab members and external partners on how they perceive and experience inclusion in your lab. You can also use data and metrics to measure the diversity and representation of your lab across various dimensions, such as gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, age, education, and career stage. This will help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your lab in terms of inclusion, as well as the areas and groups that need more attention and support.

2 Establish clear goals and expectations

Once you have a clear picture of your current situation, you can set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for improving inclusion in your lab. For example, you can aim to increase the diversity of your lab members, collaborators, mentors, and funders; to reduce the gaps and biases in your recruitment, retention, and promotion processes; to enhance the accessibility and usability of your lab facilities, equipment, and resources; or to broaden the scope and impact of your research topics and outputs. You should also communicate these goals and expectations to your lab members and external partners, and explain why they are important and how they will benefit everyone.

3 Provide training and education

One of the key ways to create an inclusive research environment is to provide training and education for yourself and your lab members on topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, cultural competence, unconscious bias, microaggressions, allyship, and anti-discrimination. You can use online courses, workshops, seminars, webinars, podcasts, books, articles, or other resources to learn about these topics and how they affect your research and your interactions with others. You can also invite experts, guest speakers, or role models from diverse backgrounds and fields to share their experiences and insights with your lab. Training and education can help you and your lab members develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are essential for creating an inclusive research environment.

4 Foster a sense of belonging

Another way to create an inclusive research environment is to foster a sense of belonging among your lab members. This means that you should create a lab culture that values, respects, and celebrates the diversity of your lab members and their contributions. You should also encourage and facilitate the participation and engagement of your lab members in your lab activities, decision-making, and communication. You can use various strategies to foster a sense of belonging, such as creating a lab mission statement or code of conduct that reflects your commitment to inclusion; organizing regular meetings, social events, or team-building activities that promote interaction and collaboration; providing feedback, recognition, and rewards that acknowledge the achievements and efforts of your lab members; and offering mentoring, coaching, or peer support that address the needs and challenges of your lab members.